Fabio Di Giannantonio explained why he felt he “threw away” his chances of securing a podium finish at the Argentina MotoGP Grand Prix.

The Roman rider finished both the Sprint and Sunday race in fifth place, accumulating 16 points to his championship tally.

The VR46 Ducati opted for the same strategy as his teammate Franco Morbidelli, starting the 25-lapper with the soft rear tyre compound.

The start of his race saw Morbidelli squeeze through on Lap 1 which placed him behind KTMs Brad Binder as a result.

Di Giannantonio later found the right opportunity to pass Binder on Lap 15, then completed an ambitious last-lap move on LCR Honda’s Johann Zarco.

“Without [Franco] Morbidelli’s overtake, I think I would’ve finished the race differently. The start was good, and the plan was to reach a fourth, fifth position right away and then start the chase,” Di Giannantonio explained to GPOne.

“However, Franco did well and ruined my GP. I was behind Binder for three-quarters of the race and lost a lot of time, also because Brad [Binder] is very difficult to overtake.

“I had a great pace, to the extent that, after twenty laps, I was still doing 1.38.3s. But, by then, it was too late.

“I’m a bit angry because I feel I threw away a podium. With the current regulations, if you’re behind someone who’s breaking away, you can only save yourself if he makes a mistake.”

He continued: “In my case, the KTM rider made a small mistake, and I managed to squeeze in. Otherwise, I would’ve definitely been stuck.

“This is also why qualifying and the first few laps are crucial. In those stages, you have to take risks.”

Di Giannantonio admitted he ‘lost concentration’ in last laps

Di Giannantonio admitted post-race that he “lost concentration” in the last laps of the race due to exhaustion.

He is still nursing an injury after breaking his collarbone during the pre-season test in Sepang, which played a part in the closing stages of the Argentina race.

Although he wasn’t satisfied with not reaching his target, he was happy with the progression made since the season opener.

“Looking at the two top five, it was a really good weekend. In terms of speed and consistency, I really progressed from Thailand,” he reflected.

“I’m really happy and proud because we did a great job. Obviously, I can’t be 100% satisfied because I wanted to finish in the top three.

“It was hard, but not like last weekend [Thailand] where, in the last laps, I was exhausted.

“Here, in the closing laps, I lost concentration and even forgot to deactivate the holeshot twice. So I faced Turn 6 like on a chopper.

“I kept thinking about how to recuperate energy on the straight. In the next few days, I’ll try to train and prepare myself as the best as I can for Austin.

“I hope not, but I’m afraid it will be. Like I said, in the next few days, instead of resting, I’ll spend time recuperating muscle in my upper body.”

READ MORE – Franco Morbidelli ends four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina amid self-doubt battles

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Last month signalled the start of the 2025 WorldSBK season, which commenced at the iconic Phillip Island circuit.

Nicolo Bulega was the standout rider, winning all three races and securing the maximum 62 points to kick off the season.

A multitude of talking points arose after the weekend’s events, prompting Motorsport Week to share five key takeaways from the season opener.

1. Nicolo Bulega has another level in him

Arub.it Ducati rider Bulega dominated the weekend’s proceedings, leading every session throughout the weekend and completing a historic treble, his first ever in the series.

Since the introduction of the Superpole Race in 2019, the Italian joins an exclusive list of riders who have achieved this feat, including Jonathan Rea, Alvaro Bautista, Toprak Razgatlioglu, and Danilo Petrucci.

Bulega’s is only in his sophomore year in the series, following an impressive debut campaign in 2024 where he finished as Razgatlioglu’s nearest challenger.

It’s still early days in the new season, but the 25-year-old is sure to improve now that he has a deeper understanding of the finer details of his Panigale V4.

2. Reigning champion Toprak Razgatlioglu is stronger in Europe

Razgatlioglu’s rollercoaster of a weekend in Phillip Island raised multiple surprises considering the manner of his 2024 title-winning campaign.

The Turkish rider began his title defence with one podium finish in Race 1, before finishing 13th in the Superpole and retiring in Race 2.

Despite showing frustration by smashing his windshield and labelling the series as a “Ducati Cup”, time will tell whether BMW is worse off after losing its superconcessions privilege.

Let’s not forget that Razgatlioglu’s record is far more favourable in Europe, considering he has only prevailed on one occasion in Australia, arriving in 2020 when he rode for Yamaha.

READ MORE – Ducati personnel hit back at Toprak Razgatlioglu’s ‘Ducati Cup’ claim

3. Alvaro Bautista’s resurgence in 2025 looks on the cards

Despite Bulega’s success, two-time champion Bautista looked comfortable aboard his Italian marque for the first time since 2023.

Before the season kicked off, the 40-year-old chose to extend for another year and later mentioned his positive feelings about his bike, which led to two podium finishes Down Under.

The notable disparity between the Spaniard’s 2023 and 2024 seasons saw 27 and four victories, but a resurgence looks to be on the cards despite a crash in the Sunday Superpole race.

The series needs Bautista to challenge at the front throughout the season considering his impressive achievements since joining the series in 2019.

4. A mixed bag for PATA Maxus Yamaha

PATA Maxus Yamaha endured a mixed bag both in pre-season testing and throughout the season opener.

Six-time champion Rea suffered multiple fractures to his left foot, resulting in him missing the season opener and the next round at Portimao.

While this setback pushes the Northern Irishman further behind after his first winless campaign since joining the series in 2009, Andrea Locatelli, his teammate, sits as the lead non-Ducati rider in the championship classification.

Locatelli produced two seventh-placed finishes in Race 1 and Race 2 but improved to finish sixth in the Superpole Race.

Yamaha is reportedly heading in the right direction, but the true test of the M1’s competitiveness will come when both riders take to the track.

5. Independents Rivalry: Andrea Iannone and Danilo Petrucci are ready for a blockbuster battle

Petrucci racked up the Independents’ Title in 2024, and although Alex Lowes was his closest challenger last season, we predict Andrea Iannone will be his main challenger for this season.

The Italian duo picked up their first wins in the series in 2024 at Cremona and Aragon respectively, and this season should see even further success.

The vastly experienced MotoGP duo will likely go to and fro both on track and in the championship standings.

We saw last season that both riders have strengths at different tracks, and this season marking Iannone’s second year in the series, it promises to be a titanic battle.

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Franco Morbidelli opened up about the self-doubt battles he faced before ending his four-year MotoGP podium drought in Argentina.

The Italian rider’s 1,414-day wait for another appearance on the rostrum ended as he secured third place at the Termas de Rio Hondo.

In those four years, the VR46 Ducati rider overcame various injuries and jumped ship from Yamaha to Ducati to turn his career around.

The former Moto2 champion spent one year at Pramac before returning home with the VR46 outfit, having previously been a graduate of Valentino Rossi’s Academy, which gave him another opportunity to impress on the same bike.

“They have been four very complicated years,” Morbidelli admitted to GPOne.

“In some [races] we didn’t make it by a narrow margin, in others we were really far away. Now to taste we are back on top and it will be nice stay there.

“Already last year, with the new bike, it should have been the moment of my rebirth, but just when we all thought the nightmare, we sank even further down, because I got injured and there were so many problems.

“Then the 2024 season ended with very good feelings, this year we got off to a very good start, and the extra year of experience on the bike gives me more feeling.”

Morbidelli discusses more about his internal battles

The Roma-born rider opened up about his internal battles throughout the four years.

“I had moments when I felt like I was forgetting how good it could be to be here, I had time to think about whether I was still capable, I had time to wonder if I was doing enough.

“I had time to think about lots and lots of things, good and bad.

“Now I am not even able to clearly say how I feel, it will be the Prosecco,” he joked.

Soft tyre choice paid dividends in the Sunday race

Morbidelli’s podium brought his championship tally to 37 points in the championship, six behind third-place rival Francesco Bagnaia.

The Italian explained that a challenging Saturday prompted a change in tyre choice for the main race, selecting the soft tyre compound.

“Yesterday actually I didn’t feel good on the bike and it got worse. In any case, today [Sunday] I chose the soft tyre, I knew I would have to give everything I had at the beginning of the race to make up as many positions as possible and afterwards focus mainly on managing the situation.

“During the race I saw that I could control the pace pretty well. I could not have caught up with Alex and Marc [Marquez], I just watched them from behind and it was a good battle.

“I will try in the future to improve the start of the weekend and the time attack to start a little bit ahead, because starting so far behind is not recommended to finish in the top 3.

“Finally, we still need to sort out that something we are lacking to stay with the two brothers.”

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Marc Marquez identified a surprise name he believes is his main MotoGP title opponent for the 2025 season.

Marquez completed back-to-back grand slams in Argentina, claiming pole before winning the Sprint and Grand Prix.

The Spaniard extended his lead at the top of the championship, equalling Angel Nieto’s record of 90 total wins.

He defeated his younger brother Alex Marquez by less than a second in the Sprint, before winning the race by 1.3s despite following him for most of the race after making an unforced error.

The Marquez brothers once again featured on the top two steps of the podium, before Marc stated post-race that he believes his younger brother is his main opponent for the championship.

“But Alex today I’m very impressed about his riding style. He was super smooth,” said Marquez to Crash.net.

“And I know when he is super convinced he is able to win a world championship, like he did in Moto3, in Moto2.

“So, at the end he is the main opponent for the championship.”

Marc Marquez took a ‘lot of risks’ to win the race

Despite leading for the first three laps Marquez ran wide at Turn 1 on Lap 4, which allowed his brother to take the lead.

The older brother prevailed in the end following an overtake on Lap 21, before clearing off into the distance to establish a 1.3s advantage.

The factory Ducati rider continued to heap praise on his brother’s performance, stating he rode “super smooth.”

The Spaniard admitted that to win the race he had to take more risks, which explained the incidents in which he experienced a few wobbles aboard his Desmosedici.

“Today I’m impressed about my brother, about Alex,” he added.

“In one part of the race I was thinking to finish second because he was riding super smooth, super good, always keeping the corner speed.

“I mean his tyre was not smoking. I said ‘ok, this guy today has another level’.

“Then in the end I survived. I took a risk, as you saw, I took a lot of risks – maybe too much in some points of the race.”

The post Marc Marquez identifies surprise name as his main MotoGP title opponent appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Marc Marquez clinched a resounding MotoGP victory in Argentina, completing dominant back-to-back race victories.

Polesitter Marquez held onto his lead and stayed ahead of his younger brother into Turn 1.

Marco Bezzecchi launched off his Aprilia at Turn 1, which resulted in a retirement, ending a torrid weekend for the factory outfit.

Bezzecchi’s crash forced Fabio Quartararo off the track, dropping down to 19th as a result.

Francesco Bagnaia and Johann Zarco swapped positions but the Italian made the move stick to take third spot, with his eyes set on catching the Marquez brothers.

Ai Ogura continued to impress the paddock by starting strong to claim tenth spot by the end of the second lap, providing some much needed optimism for Aprilia.

An early crash from Enea Bastianini saw him retire on Lap 2 in his second race weekend for KTM.

On Lap 4, Franco Morbidelli slotted himself past Zarco to climb up to fourth place, before younger brother Alex Marquez moved past his older brother for the lead.

Marquez wasn’t able to find the right line and ran wide at Turn 1, allowing the Gresini rider to seize the opportunity and overtake.

Morbidelli’s purple patch continued due to him choosing the soft compound rear tyre, overtaking his fellow VR46 Academy graduate Bagnaia after the long straight.

Quite remarkably, Ogura rose through the grid with relative ease, overtaking Alex Rins, Pedro Acosta, and Joan Mir in the early stages.

The Marquez brothers cemented a 0.8s advantage over Morbidelli as the race reached Lap 8, though the younger brother was under considerable threat out front.

Riders held their positions over the next few laps, with gaps forming between the Marquez brothers, VR46 Ducati rider Morbidelli, and Bagnaia and Zarco.

Few predicted Zarco would still be tailing the factory Ducati, given the Bologna machinery’s dominance, but the Frenchman’s Honda has shown noticeable improvements after a disastrous 2024.

Towards the end of Lap 15, the older Marquez brother had a tank slapper aboard his factory Ducati. It was clear he was pushing hard to catch up to his brother, but there was no way through just yet.

Marquez attempted a lunge at the end of the back straight on Lap 18 in what was an overly ambitious move, but he ran wide and now faces the hard work ahead to catch up.

The gap between the two riders extended to 0.5s, but credit to the incumbent leader, who had the edge at his brother’s strongest points on track.

Marc finally made the move on Lap 20 at the same Turn, ensuring that the race was in his hands.

The eight-time champion stretched his lead to 0.6s yet opted to still ride to the absolute limit, before extending the advantage to over a second.

The factory Ducati rider won once again around the Termas de Rio Hondo, equalling Angel Nieto’s record with the third most wins across all classes.

Marquez crossed the 1.3s clear of his younger brother, who managed to bring home another podium finish.

Morbidelli earned his first MotoGP podium in over four years despite late pressure from Bagnaia, who finished in fourth.

Fabio Di Giannantonio earned fifth following a last lap overtake on Honda rider Zarco, defeating the Frenchman who finished as the lead non-Ducati rider.

Brad Binder finished an impressive seventh for KTM, as rookie sensation Ogura forced his way through on Acosta to snatch eighth.

Joan Mir and Luca Marini finished within three tenths of each other to take tenth and 11th, boasting an impressive outing for the Japanese marque.

Alex Rins earned points to take 12th spot, followed by fellow compatriot Maverick Vinales aboard his RC16 KTM.

Jack Miller and Fabio Quartararo crossed the line 14th and 15th for Yamaha, respectively.

Trackhouse Racing’s Raul Fernandez missed out on the points and finished in 16th, defeating rookie Fermin Aldeguer.

Bastianini recovered from his crash to finish in 18th, ahead of rookie Somkiat Chantra who occupied 19th and finished as the final classified rider.

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Jake Dixon triumphed in a flag-to-flag victory in the Argentine Moto2 race, earning his fifth race win in the intermediate class.

Dixon’s performance saw him dominate and take a comfortable victory, crossing the line 3.5s ahead of Manuel Gonzalez at Termas de Rio Hondo.

Gonzalaz started the race from the front but Jake Dixon established the lead from the middle of the front row.

Adrian Huertas’ race ended at Turn 2 after an early crash from the middle of the pack, which forced him into retirement.

Dixon established a few bike lengths lead over Gonzalaz, but his teammate Filip Salac made it a 1-2 for Marc VDS at the end of the back straight on Lap 2.

Both riders held firm for only one and a half laps as the pole sitter snatched second place back, resulting in Dixon extending his advantage to 0.2s out front.

Aron Canet and Marco Ramirez swapped fourth and fifth place but in the midst of their respective battle, both riders lost time from the leading trio.

The exciting battle continued throughout the next corners, but South African rider Darryn Binder was waiting in the wings to spot an opportunistic move.

Out front Dixon seized the initiative to formulate a half second advantage by posting back-to-back fastest laps on Lap 5 and Lap 6, respectively.

Brazilian rider Dioo Moreira suffered mechanical issues to his Italtrans Racing Team bike, resulting in a quick and rare pit stop.

Dixon looked in control out front and extended his advantage to over 0.8s, as the leading duo were a distant two seconds clear of the field.

Canet suffered a huge crash earlier in the weekend but in his usual tough nature he ploughed on and slotted his way through Ramirez for the final podium spot.

After the leading two, Fantic Racing’s Canet was managing the pace in front of the American Racing Team rider Ramirez, Czechia rider Salac and Celestino Vietti.

Drama unfolded on Lap 11 due to Ramirez and Salac making the same line heading into the corner, but collided into each other. The Marc VDS rider crashed out of proceedings, while the Spaniard continued on.

Out front Dixon extended to his advantage to 1.5s and Gonzalaz mustered a 4.8s lead over the rest of the field.

HDR Heidrun rider Vietti showcased his immense tyre-preserving abilities, propelling himself into third place.

He occupied the final podium place for the subsequent laps, but a minor error opened the door for Canet to regain position.

This was the highlight of the race as both riders tried to find the limit aboard their respective machinery. Vietti regained the podium place after completing a successful block pass.

Dixon sealed his first dominant win in the series and his first win for the Marc VDS team, having joined the team at the start of the year.

Gonzalez finished 6.5s clear of Vietti who clung on to the final podium spot, but Canet’s fourth place is a strong performance considering his crash.

Ramirez finished his race securing fifth spot for the American Racing Team, finishing three seconds ahead of Binder.

Alex Escrig established seventh spot for the Swiss Forward Factory outfit, defeating Alonso Lopez and Daniel Holgado.

Alberto Arenas rounded off the top ten to ensure a strong performance from both Gresini riders.

Tony Arbolino fended off Barry Baltus to claim 11th place, while Senna Agius followed a second behind.

At the end, Turkish rider Deniz Oncu sneaked into 14th place, defeating Izan Guevara in a photo finish and crossing the line a tenth of a second ahead of the Spaniard.

The post Jake Dixon triumphs in flag-to-flag Argentine Moto2 victory appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Angel Piqueras prevailed in a fantastic last lap battle with Adrian Fernandez and Jose Antonio Rueda to win the Moto3 race in Argentina.

Fernandez crossed the line by 0.036s behind but was unfortunate to not take the win after Piqueras exceeded track limits on the final lap.

Matteo Bertelle claimed pole for the second time in as many races but relinquished his lead into Turn 1.

Ryusei Yamanaka took the lead but it lasted for only the first few corners as Leopard Racing’s Almansa took over proceedings.

He ran wide at Turn 1 on Lap 2, demoting him to third as the KTM duo of Alvaro Carpe and Rueda slotted through.

The Spanish trio swapped positions once again as David Almansa recovered passed the duo to establish the lead once again.

LevelUp rider Joel Kelso was issued with two long lap penalties prior to the race starting, which he took on Laps 2 and 3, respectively, which saw him rejoin the race in 25th place.

After the long straight on Lap 4, Piqueras made the most of an open door to take the lead, while the rookie Carpe fell down to fifth place.

Almansa pounced to take the lead once again as the Leopard Racing rider looked the strongest pace setter thus far.

During the early phase of the race, no major groups formed as all riders focused on improving their positions. However, they all navigated the Termas de Rio Hondo using varied racing lines.

The first crash of the race saw 13th place rookie Guido Pini lose the front on Lap 7 as he was eyeing a move on British rider Scott Ogden.

Almansa’s counterpart Fernandez stormed his way at Turn 3 through to provide a 1-2 for the Leopard outfit.

His lead only lasted for one lap as both riders swapped positions at the same corner.

At the halfway stage, championship leader Rueda sneaked his way through pole-sitter Bertelle and Almansa to sandwich the Honda duo.

Fernandez lost four places down the back straight to drop down to fifth place, but Honda Team Asia rider Taiyo Furusato rose up to second for the first time.

Furusato took the lead a lap later heading into the same corner, producing an impressive performance after qualifying 14th.

The second half of the race continued with the same level of chaos, keeping the entertainment flowing and leaving no clear winner in sight.

Marco Uriarte’s race ended at Turn 11 on Lap 12, losing the front of his MLav Racing Honda.

The leading eight riders established a minor advantage over the rest of the field, forming over a half second advantage.

Bertelle was the leader heading into the final three laps, building a stronger gap between himself and the rest of the field.

Carpe crashed out on the final lap after trying to catch up to the podium spots.

Reuda and Piqueras showed their experience to set incredible lap times at the end to force their way through.

Piqueras crossed the line to snatch victory, but he exceeded track limits on the final lap which saw a three second penalty issued and a demotion.

Piqueras’ win made amends for his difficult Thai season opener, and Fernandez’s second confirmed his second podium of the season.

Antonio Rueda’s third place finish cemented a crucial podium for Red Bull KTM, edging out the Honda Team Asia rider Furusato.

Bertelle crossed the line in fifth spot despite leading for the vast majority of the second half of the race.

Almansa finished a second adrift to complete sixth place for Leopard Racing, who finished half a second ahead of Luca Lunetta.

Kelso recovered to finish seventh place after the two long lap penalties, finishing ahead of Japanese star Yamanaka and Stefano Nepa.

Joel Esteban finished in 11th, having fended off late pressure from CFMoto’s Dennis Foggia.

Scott Ogden and Adrian Cruces finished 13th and 14th for the CIP Green Power KTM outfit, as Cormac Buchanan rounded off the point scoring positions.

The post Angel Piqueras prevails to earn Moto3 win in Argentina appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Jack Miller expressed his appreciation to Pramac Yamaha for keeping him in MotoGP after his future in the series looked uncertain beyond 2024.

KTM decided to part ways with Miller from 2025 early into the 2024 season after the Australian rider failed to get to grips with the bike.

He achieved just one podium throughout his two-year stint, which left his career hanging in the balance.

“MotoGP has been my life for 10 years now, and last year it looked like it could honestly all be over,” Miller stated to MotoGP.com.

“Since that moment, I just decided to enjoy every moment that I had on-track.

“I feel extremely blessed to be able to do this hopefully for a few more years. I feel like my time isn’t done yet – last year that was the biggest thing for me, I didn’t feel ready to step down yet, I still feel like I have more to do.

“I guess this opportunity with Yamaha and Pramac, a massive thank you to them and to Paolo [Campinoti] because he saved me.”

Yamaha ‘probably the most committed’ MotoGP entrant – Miller

The 30-year-old heaped praise on the Japanese marque’s efforts to return to the front of the pack once again.

Yamaha and Pramac formed a long-term partnership to become its satellite entity – a partnership that Miller perceives as “a second factory team.”

“Yamaha are probably the most committed out of any manufacturer that I’ve worked with, putting on a whole second factory team,” he said.

“It doesn’t stop there; that whole testing structure, moving that all to Europe and really trying to focus on more of a European base in that area [while] keeping a Japanese focus on quality and the way that they work.

“They’re finding this balance very well between the two [Europe and Japan] and they’re taking all the right steps to do that.”

Miller’s decade-long experience in the premier class will be valuable to Yamaha, considering he has spent time riding with Honda and Ducati too, and the Pramac outfit from 2018 to 2020.

The post Jack Miller: Pramac Yamaha ‘saved me’ after providing MotoGP career lifeline appeared first on Motorsport Week.

Following on from the official announcement, Pirelli has revealed that its MotoGP tyres “will be different” to the compounds produced in the junior classes and WorldSBK.

It was announced that Italian tyre provider will be the official tyre supplier in the premier class from 2027, the start of the new regulation era.

Pirelli Moto Racing Director Giorgio Barbier didn’t reveal any details surrounding the tyres itself, but made it clear that their approach will be different for MotoGP.

“As per the announcement, we are still discussing important details we cannot reveal,” Barbier began to GPOne.

“So, I expect more discussions with the FIM, MSMA, and the manufactures, because we are still two years away from our debut.

“The motorcycles still have to be prepared, there are designs, but I have not seen the bikes yet, so it will have to be decided when we will take to the track, with what limits, with what riders and with what rules above all, which Dorna will have to set.

“For MotoGP [tyres will be different], we will have to build prototypes. Our approach will definitely be different than that of other manufacturers, with hyper specialised super prototypes, track by track.

“It will be a Pirelli approach, more industrial, qualitative and numerical. Consequently, the processes will be similar to the tyres we already supply, and the supply capacity will be different.”

Pirelli’s priority is to focus on ‘performance’

Barbier indicated that Pirelli’s point of focus is to maximise the tyre “performance.”

“In MotoGP, the cornering speeds and the dynamics would certainly be a challenge for the current Superbike tyres.

“At this point in time, there is no finished tyre design. I don’t know what the final design will look like, but we have to calmly ensure that every motorcycle manufacturer is able to develop reliably.

“Only then will we focus on performance, because for that we need time and tests to develop these tires.”

Producing the MotoGP won’t be a ‘huge effort’ amid monopoly fears

Pirelli operate in multiple racing series on both two and four wheels, including being Formula 1’s official tyre supplier since 2011.

It could be argued that the Italian brand’s placement in the pinnacle of four-wheeled motorsport, WorldSBK and now MotoGP means it is now a monopoly in all major racing series.

Barbier believes that its new MotoGP venture “is already very large” and wouldn’t take a “huge effort” considering the knowledge base it has so far in other motorbike racing series.

“I don’t think it will be a huge effort when you consider the number of riders, and considering the categories we already follow, from Superbike to BSB (British Superbikes) to Junior GP in Spain.

“The effort is already very large, but coming into MotoGP will be a real bath in the prototype world.

“When we entered last year in Moto2 and Moto3, we did it with tyres derived from Superbike, or at least tyres already on the market.”

READ MORE – MotoGP announces Pirelli as new tyre supplier from 2027

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Marc Marquez set the benchmark lap time in the second Argentina MotoGP practice, completing the double to round off a perfect Friday.

The factory Ducati rider rounded off a perfect day by topping both Friday practice sessions and setting a new all-time lap record of 1.37.295s.

His nearest challenger was fellow GP25 Ducati rider Fabio Di Giannantonio, who banked second place in the dying embers of the session.

The younger brother Alex Marquez secured third place, completing a Ducati top-three sweep, with all three positions held by riders from the three Ducati teams.

Marco Bezzecchi posted an impressive time of 1.37.510s to seal fourth place for Aprilia, with his recorded time becoming the first to break the all-time record.

Fifth and sixth places went to KTM rider Brad Binder and Yamahas Alex Rins, both of whom trailed the factory Ducati duo for a tow, adding extra tenths to their respective lap times.

Johann Zarco finished on seventh to finish as the lead Honda rider once again, where he sandwiched himself between the factory Yamaha duo.

Fabio Quartararo tried the same tow strategy as Rins on the factory Ducati, but while following Francesco Bagnaia, the Italian rider crashed out at Turn 2.

Quartararo himself finished eighth in the session, but Bagnaia scraped through into Q2 by finishing in the last automatic qualifying spot.

Pedro Acosta suffered a late crash when riders were completing their outlaps, but dragged his Austrian marque to Q2 to accompany teammate Brad Binder.

Ai Ogura was the nearest challenger to miss out on the second phase of qualifying, but finished ahead of VR46 Ducati rider Franco Morbidelli.

Jack Miller established 14th place for Pramac Yamaha, placing himself in the middle of a factory Honda sandwich comprising of Joan Mir and Luca Marini.

Maverick Vinales finished in 16th place as he continued his adjustment to the KTM, finishing one second behind Marquez’s time attack.

Rookie Fermin Aldeguer established 17th place for Gresini, improving on Miguel Oliveria’s lap by over three tenths of a second.

Somkiat Chantra improved from his performance in the first practice to finish 19th, as the rookie posted a time faster than those of Raul Fernandez and Enea Bastianini.

Once again, Aprilia test rider Lorenzo Savadori finished the session in last spot, stepping in for Jorge Martin this weekend as the Spaniard recovers from injury.

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